Mitch Daniels on Friday said he was "gratified" by New York Times columnist David Brooks’s piece urging him to run for president and conceded he is still thinking about it,, but added there other ways to take part in the national conversation besides "throwing yourself off that cliff."

Daniels made the comments on PBS NewsHour with Judy Woodruff, who read from the column in which Brooks said Daniels is the cream of the current GOP field and the only one who could really give President Obama a run for his money.

"There's nobody whose regard I would rather have, honestly, than his," Daniels said. "And I was gratified, of course."

As for what will influence his decision-making process, Daniels — who gave an acclaimed speech at CPAC but has sent conflicting signals about which way he's leaning — said: "It's a long subject, but there are a lot of concerns that are very, very personal and family-oriented.

"And I really do want to see our party step up to its responsibilities, as the loyal opposition, on the biggest questions of the day," he said. "And I think the single biggest question is the debt, which threatens to ruin the economy — not just the economy, but the position of this nation in the world."

He added: "And I would like to help do that, but there are ways to help other than throw yourself off that cliff."